Passenger stabbed in second case of bus violence

A passenger was stabbed while stepping off a bus in Aldergrove on Tuesday — the second violent transit-related incident in Metro Vancouver in recent days.

Langley RCMP are probing the stabbing, which occurred shortly after 6 p.m. at a bus stop on 272nd Street, just north of Fraser Highway. The victim, a man, was whisked away to hospital by air ambulance.

A suspect hasn’t been apprehended, and police are investigating the case as an aggravated assault. “We don’t have a whole lot [of details],” RCMP Cpl. Holly Marks said. “We haven’t had a chance to talk to witnesses and the victim himself.”

Translink spokesman Drew Snider said the stabbing occurred as the victim stepped off the bus.

Meanwhile, Surrey RCMP are on the hunt for a man who choked a bus driver Saturday.

Police said the 57-year-old driver was choked for no apparent reason while his bus was stopped at 76th Avenue and King George Highway at about 9:30 a.m.

A man rushed at him with no warning, police say, and started choking him with his hands. The attack ended quickly when the suspect ran off.

There were about 10 witnesses on the bus, and police are reviewing surveillance tapes from a camera mounted inside the bus.

The suspect is described as about five feet 10 inches and 18 to 20 years old, with short dark hair, wearing blue jeans and a black jacket.

The driver was bruised around the neck, police said, but was not seriously injured.

The union representing the driver has posted a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

Canadian Auto Workers Local 111 president Don Macleod said the driver was shocked by the sudden attack, but is recuperating.

Assaults on Metro Vancouver drivers rose to 145 attacks in 2011 from 119 in 2010, he said.